President Lee Confirms Finance, Defense and Transport Ministers

President Lee Jae Myung has approved the appointments of three senior Cabinet members, filling key posts responsible for economic policy, national defense and transport while he is visiting the United States.

Chief Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung said Tuesday that Lee approved Lee Hyung-il as deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance, Kang Shin-cheol as minister of national defense, and Hong Ji-sun as minister of land, infrastructure and transport. The approvals were made in New York, where the president is conducting diplomatic engagements that include the United Nations General Assembly.

The appointments complete the formal process for three nominees whose confirmation hearing reports were adopted by the National Assembly. Reports for Lee Hyung-il and Kang Shin-cheol were adopted on September 17, while lawmakers adopted Hong Ji-sun’s report on September 21.

The three officials will take charge of ministries with broad responsibilities across the government. The economy and finance minister also serves as deputy prime minister for economic affairs, placing Lee Hyung-il in a central coordinating role on fiscal and economic policy. Kang Shin-cheol assumes leadership of the defense ministry, while Hong Ji-sun will oversee land, housing, infrastructure and transport policy.

The decision advances part of President Lee’s Cabinet reshuffle but leaves another nomination unresolved. The confirmation hearing report for Lee So-young, the nominee for minister of SMEs and startups, has not been adopted because of differences between the ruling and opposition parties. No appointment for that post was included in Tuesday’s announcement.

The timing also shows that the president continued handling domestic personnel decisions during his overseas schedule. Lee is in the United States for multilateral diplomacy, with his itinerary centered on the U.N. gathering. The presidential office said the three appointments took effect according to Korea time.

With the approvals, attention now turns to how quickly the new ministers begin directing their portfolios and coordinating with other agencies. Their confirmation reports had already cleared the parliamentary stage, allowing the president to formalize the appointments together. The remaining SMEs and startups nomination, however, continues to reflect disagreement between the parties and remains outside the completed appointments. That vacancy will remain subject to the separate parliamentary confirmation process.